Travel plans may be quickly canceled if interview appointments at U.S. consulates are unavailable. The U.S. consulates may be able to provide emergency appointments. They are granted only for legitimate emergencies. We can help you arrange an urgent appointment. We are available to assist you at all times.
What are the reasons to make an emergency appointment?
A visa applicant can request an emergency appointment at the U.S. consulate in certain situations. The U.S. consulate has a list of exceptions to which emergency appointments can be requested. The U.S. consulate may allow emergency appointments if the work is necessary for one of these reasons:
- Medical emergency
- Family emergency (funeral/death)
- Participation in a program of scheduled exchange (students or exchange visitors)
- Refusal to enter the ESTA
- Urgent business trip
- Check-in turned travelers away (e.g., even if the flight couldn’t be boarded with a child’s passport).
The U.S. consulate always decides to grant an urgent appointment. Your request for an emergency appointment is not guaranteed to be given.
There are no valid reasons to make an emergency appointment
An emergency appointment is not completed if you fail to apply for a U.S. Visa in a timely fashion. Business travelers might also not be considered an emergency if referring to an urgent client meeting.
Book an emergency appointment
You must first make a regular visa appointment to request an emergency appointment. As usual, you will need to pay the consular fee, make an appointment for an interview, and then complete and submit the online DS160 visa application.
Tip: You can instantly schedule a visa appointment by using the Visa Profile to pay the consular fee via an instant bank transfer
Check the Availability
Before requesting an urgent appointment, check the availability for consular interview appointments at U.S. Consulates in your home country. An emergency appointment will be made if no selection is available at all locations.
Applicants in Germany can attend a visa interview in Berlin or Frankfurt am Main. While the U.S. Embassy in Vienna handles Austrian consular issues, Swiss applicants can contact the U.S. Embassy in Bern.
Emergency appointments may be made if there are not enough regular interviews available.
After completing the application to the best of your ability and booking the next regular appointment, you can request an emergency appointment via the visa profile.
Cite reasons
Supporting documents must be provided to prove the urgency of the trip. These documents could include letters from the U.S. or proof of invitations or appointments. In addition to confirmation of the program’s start, students should have evidence that the SEVIS fee was paid. A copy or proof must be submitted if an ESTA rejection is received.
The justification letter should be written in English and supported by other documents.
What happens next if you are classified as an emergency appointment?
You will be notified by email if your request has been deemed an emergency by the U.S. consulate. The emergency appointments you have available in your visa profile will be displayed. This is the same account you used to book your first regular appointment. After the emergency appointment is booked, you can continue with your application as usual and prepare for the interview at the U.S consulate.
The applicant may be unable to make an emergency appointment at their preferred location. It may be close to home. An applicant cannot choose the time or, more specifically, the location of the application at an urgent appointment. You must also have all the necessary documents to request an urgent appointment.